Branko Rafajac’s research while affiliated with University of Rijeka and other places

The purpose of this paper is to develop theoretical framework that can be applied in the analysis and empirical research on school management efficiency in the Croatian context. The paper contains explanations of significant dimensions based on which it is possible to monitor the practice of school management at the local level, and provides discussions regarding modalities of measures for strengthening school and student capacities that are implemented in certain local self-governments. A review of available data reveals that investment priorities of local self-government units in various types of interventions significantly vary in different local environments and that the possibility of investing in programmes that are thought to be connected with strengthening the achievements of schools and students depends on how developed the existing material prerequisites for the smooth operation of schools are. Guidelines for using efficient support mechanisms in cooperation between local management authorities (school founders) and school institutions are also analysed and proposed.

This research was conducted in order to gain a preliminary insight into the general orientation and range of opinions of 396 primary and secondary school teachers in Croatia toward the a) importance of their competencies related to the education policies; b) cognition and mastering of the competencies related to the education policies; c) the actual activity of primary and secondary school teachers in the creation and implementation of education policies. Research data were collected on the basis of a survey methodology, using an online questionnaire in the form of a Likert scale. In addition, the questionnaire contained two open questions. The analysis of results has clearly shown that primary and secondary school teachers in this research evaluated their competencies related to the education policies to be an important part of the competency profile of teachers. Teachers have made relatively high evaluations of their cognition and mastery of the competencies related to the education policy processes within school. In contrast, somewhat lower evaluations have been given to the mastery of competencies associated with the knowledge of education system, i.e. activity outside the school context. The evaluations of scale items related to the preconditions and personal activity in decision making and the implementation of education policy within the school vary in the range of average values or slightly above that.

This paper analyses the relationship between the exposure of school children to various forms of peer bullying (classic/cyber) and their life satisfaction in the domain of school, family, friends and school performance. The sample included 562 children from rural and urban areas of Croatia who were attending the seventh and the eighth grade of primary school. Results show that children were more often exposed to classic forms of peer bullying, especially verbal, and then physical bullying. On the other hand, cyber bullying most often comprises harassment in forums, blogs, chats or social networks, then on the web, by e-mail and mobile phone. Almost half of the examinees knew the identity of the bully, while a minority believes that bullies are the same ones who also physically abuse them at school. We found that children exposed to all forms of both classic and cyber bullying, unlike their peers who do not have such experience, show less satisfaction with friends, while those exposed to physical and cyber bullying show dissatisfaction with their family, too. However no statistically significant difference was found in their satisfaction with school. Children exposed to physical bullying showed poorer school performance, poorer achievement in Croatian and math, while children exposed to verbal and cyber bullying and children who were not exposed to such forms of bullying showed no differences in their school achievement.

Higher education in Croatia isconfronted with new trends and quality demandsmostly connected with Bologna processes. It isassumed that Croatian universities with theirexisting governance structures, characterisedby strong state regulation and weakinstitutional administration, cannot respondeffectively to new demands. Findings of thesurvey on conceptions of governance at theCroatian universities are presented in thepaper, with its main aim to explore academicstaff's perception of university governance.The idea of the university as a ``learningorganisation'' with strong leadership and engagedacademic staff is taken as the desired model.Mapping the opinions of academic staff on thepresent governance structures, their role ingovernance issues, and making an inventory oftheir perceptions of strengths and weaknessesof governance processes, forms importantbackground for reflections on adequatemodifications in academic governance.

This paper is inspired by actual dynamics in higher education and by three global trends in higher education policy: the changing relationship between governments and higher education institutions, mostly in terms of encouraging a greater degree of self-regulation of higher education institutions; endeavours for improving the quality of higher education followed by introducing national quality assurance systems into higher education policy and changing conceptions of governance of higher education institutions as a result of new external and internal demands on higher education. The purpose of this paper is to provide the theoretical background needed for understanding dynamics and developments in higher education policy, derived from the recent organisational theories and research on higher education policy, with special emphasis on the relationship between higher education institutions and demands from their external environment. The discussion about appropriate and responsive conceptions of governance of higher education institutions is developed. A number of factors which have an influence on creating an adequate conception of governance have been identified, as well as on reflecting on adequate changes needed to be met towards introducing a comparable and internationally recognised system of quality assurance.

This paper is inspired by actual dynamics in higher education and by three global trends in higher education policy: the changing relationship between governments and higher education institutions, mostly in terms of encouraging a greater degree of self-regulation of higher education institutions; endeavours for improving the quality of higher education followed by introducing national quality assurance systems into higher education policy and changing conceptions of governance of higher education institutions as a result of new external and internal demands on higher education. The purpose of this paper is to provide the theoretical background needed for understanding dynamics and developments in higher education policy, derived from the recent organisational theories and research on higher education policy, with special emphasis on the relationship between higher education institutions and demands from their external environment. The discussion about appropriate and responsive conceptions of governance of higher education institutions is developed. A number of factors which have an influence on creating an adequate conception of governance have been identified, as well as on reflecting on adequate changes needed to be met towards introducing a comparable and internationally recognised system of quality assurance.

This paper examines the extent to which university teaching is respected in Croatia higher education. The results of the assessment, which is based on our analyses of 15 criteria, show that teachers and students (203 teachers and 469 students) differ substantially in their view of quality as applied to an ‘ideal’ form of teaching and a ‘real’ form, i.e. what actually happen at university. The tests (Wilcoxon matched pairs test and Mann‐Whitney U ‐test) show that teachers assess the quality of actual teaching at university higher than students, and that the differences between teachers and students, regarding some of the criteria, could be called radical (for example, concerns about the fairness of teachers' assessment and their readiness to help).

This paper presents the results of research on "The Quality of Teaching in Higher Education", exploring students' status at the university, with the emphasis on their position in the teaching process. The questionnaire was based on 15 higher education quality criteria, and the participants (203 teachers and 469 students from the University of Rijeka) assessed the difference between "ideal" teaching (assessment of the relevance and contribution of each criterion to successful university teaching), and "real" teaching (the extent to which every criterion is respected in actual teaching at the university. The results show a statistically significant difference between "ideal" and "real" in seven (from 15) criteria, according to the teachers. According to the students, "ideal" and "real" differ statistically on every criterion. Indicative results with significant implications could be perceived when "ideal" and "real" were compared between students and teachers. The Mann-Whitney U test shows statistically significant differences according to 7 criteria in "ideal" teaching. However, when "real" teaching is assessed by teachers and students, a statistically significant difference is found in every criterion. Qualitative results (teachers' and students' comments) mostly point at "external" problems which negatively influence teaching. However, the analysis of the students' comments shows that a part of the problem could be primarily connected with teachers. The qualitative results support the statistical tests, and it might be considered that most of the teachers do not understand the importance of or neglect communication with students, do not show interest for students and their problems, and are not ready to help the students to a sufficient extent.

This paper presents the results of research on “The Quality of Teaching in Higher Education”, exploring students’ status at the university, with the emphasis on their position in the teaching process. The questionnaire was based on 15 higher education quality criteria, and the participants (203 teachers and 469 students from the University of Rijeka) assessed the difference between “ideal” teaching (assessment of the relevance and contribution of each criterion to successful university teaching), and “real” teaching (the extent to which every criterion is respected in actual teaching at the university. The results show a statistically significant difference between “ideal” and “real” in seven (from 15) criteria, according to the teachers. According to the students, “ideal” and “real” differ statistically on every criterion. Indicative results with significant implications could be perceived when “ideal” and “real” were comparedbetween students and teachers. The Mann-Whitney U test shows statistically significant differences according to 7 criteria in ”ideal” teaching. However, when “real” teaching is assessed by teachers and students, a statistically significant difference is found in every criterion. Qualitative results (teachers’ and students’ comments) mostly point at “external” problems which negatively influence teaching. However, the analysis of the students’ comments shows that a part of the problem could be primarily connected with teachers. The qualitative results support the statistical tests, and it might be considered that most of the teachers do not understand the importance of or neglect communication with students, do not show interest for students and their problems, and are not ready to help the students to a sufficient extent.

SVEUČILIŠTE U RIJECI FILOZOFSKI FAKULTET U RIJECI Međunarodni projekt: The Academic Profession in Europe: Responses to Societal Challenges provodi se kroz EUROCORES/ EuroHESC program Europske znanstvene zaklade (European Science Foundation).